Andy Whitfield to Be Honored With 'Spartacus' Marathons

Starz remembers 'the soul of a champion' who passed away earlier this month due to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

In honor of Welsh actor Andy Whitfield who passed away on September 11, Starz would run two kinds of "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" season 1 marathon. Beginning at 9:00 P.M. on Sunday, October 2, the tribute includes fan favorite episodes to showcase his most memorable performances.

In the press release, Starz said there will be five episodes including the premiere and finale episodes. They did not reveal the other three. And then the network is set to re-air the entire season of the series on December 16, just a month before the new season starts January 2012 with Liam McIntyre replacing Whitfield.

Whitfield, who plays the titular character on the series, was diagnosed with Stage 1 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in early March of 2010 while he was preparing the second season shooting. Starz decided to wait for the actor to recuperate, but he gave the network a blessing to find him a replacement. McIntyre was found through audition.